


Tunnel

by ettoire



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Attempted Murder, Don't you worry my friends, F/M, Fluff, Jason Todd Has His Own Identity Crisis, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Jason Todd is a Godsend, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Revenge, Romance, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Strangulation, Temporary Amnesia, There will be a lot a fluff in this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:27:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25252336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ettoire/pseuds/ettoire
Summary: Jason never realized how quiet and drawn out the act of strangulation was.....After waking up from a near death experience with amnesia, Jason offers you a place to stay while you and your memory recover.Over time, the last three years fade back in (while an enticing relationship between you and Jason begins). But as it does, so does family secrets, the face of your strangler, and your involvement in a world that you definitely don't recall ever being a part of.You begin to wish that the amnesia was permanent, while Jason realizes he got himself into something more than a simple Jane Doe case.
Relationships: Jason Todd/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	Tunnel

And then, all of a sudden, the world went black.

No longer could you hear the rain fall against the overflowing, metal trash bins that line the alley way or see the fluorescent street lamps shine as bright as heaven above and create an halo around the man pinning you against the concrete. That man, with his calloused, malicious hands clenching around your neck faded, and the glow in his eyes--which should not have been possible given that celestial street lamp--dimmed. The fire blazing in your chest faded into embers and that grimacing metal taste in your mouth dissolved on your tongue. And now, as darkness surrounded you, you felt afloat, peacefully drifting along the clouds.

▩

Jason never realized how quiet and drawn out the act of strangulation was. It wasn't like the thud of a piece of metal slammed against someone's skull or the explosion of gunfire. It's only the small, failing efforts of someone struggling to breathe--those quick, grated gasps--dragging on and on. 

In the city of Gotham, guns, knives, bombs, and punches that struck the right nerve, killed. Not strangulation; it was a dirty way to kill, and an even more degrading way to die. And if it had not been for the building side lights that barely illuminated you and the man and the red light that stopped Jason at the intersection, he wouldn't have turned his head and seen you. 

Jason wasn't on patrol that night. However many criminals may exist in Gotham rarely came out during this time of year, when the sky was an even crueler shade of grey and the rain poured heavily over the city. This of course was excluding the drug dealers and human traffickers that did their business underground. Jason still had to take of those criminals every now and then. 

He could clearly make out two figures. Like actors on a stage, the surrounding building lights seemed to collect together in the center, presenting you and your attacker to Jason. Yet the scene, the circumstance, baffled Jason. He didn't even notice that the light turned green until the car behind him let out a curt honk. 

He jetted forward, passing through the intersection. 

He could've just continued on his way home. He was sopping wet and eager to hit the warm showers; he had been fantasizing about breaking the binding of his current read, _The Woman in White_ , while sipping a hot cup of tea. 

But as he rode--now at an unusually slow speed for him--he couldn't help but envision the scene in the alleyway.

And so, without him fully realizing it, he swung his motorcycle around, rode back, and parked in front of the building hugging the alleyway. 

Jason waited for a moment as he took two steps forward, one disturbing a shallow puddle as he assessed the situation. With only a couple feet of air between you and the man, the force of your asphyxiation could be seen by the man's arms shaking. You writhed like a worm, your legs squirming and your arms clambering at the man's constricting grasp. 

Hey!” he yelled, his voice echoing through the wide alleyway.

Jason knew it was dumb of him to do that. Growing up behind the man who had the most silent footsteps in the world and trained to have the same stealth, Jason knew that there was a possibility the man could have a gun on him. Giving himself away like that was an invitation to be shot at. 

However, the man was so consumed with his hunger to kill that it wasn't until your body stilled two moments later and the sound of Jason's boots splashing in shallow puddles became louder, that the man sprang up and ran. 

A pulse, slow and faint, but no signs of breathing. 

One, two, three, four…. Jason counted in his head as he pumped your chest, feeling drops of cold rain and warm sweat trace the outlines of his face before bespattering against you.

With fate on your side, only after the fourth round of compressions did your slipping soul return to its capsule. Your eyes, fueled by the force of life, darted open as you pulled the largest amount of air you could handle into your lungs. Your chest, on its own, snapped forward over and over while it rose and fell.

So did Jason's, as he leaned back on his knees. His arms were sore and his chest felt tight, but his gaze on you remained steady and strong. Save for your chest and the slight tremor in your fingertips, the rest of you remained still. 

Jason moved to pick up you, sliding his arms under your knees and back. You let out a hiss, bringing a hand to your chest.

A cracked rib, Jason mused; he knew he heard something pop.

With large steps, Jason made his way back to his motorcycle. The red paint on the belly of the vehicle emitted a low glow from the lights of a restaurant nearby, fitted even more dramatically with red raindrops streaking down. 

He adjusted the both of you so that you sat, caged in between him and the handle bars, your chest against his and legs over his. 

Your mind bobbed above and beneath the surface of consciousness, Jason noticed, with your grasp on the lapel of jacket inconsistently squeezing, then softening. 

“Hey, stay awake for me,” Jason said, though it came out as more of a concerned whisper than urgent command. 

You murmured something Jason couldn't make out, at least not with the engine roaring. Nevertheless, the way your arms wrapped around Jason let him know you understood, but he could tell there wasn't too much time before you would fully succumb below the depths.

He forced the key into the ignition, turned it, and the motorcycle came to life. He decided to take you home; going to the hospital meant hospital bills. Jason didn't have that kind of money, and there was no way he would ask Bruce for help.

He looked at you one last time, checking--for some reason--if you were still there.

You were.

And the rain began to lift as Jason sped off into the night. 

..

**Author's Note:**

> hi, thank you for reading! i had to post only the first half of this chapter before the draft was deleted so i'll try and finish up the second half soon and post that, so consider this a teaser of sorts.


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